Dust To Dust
by The13thVasilisa
Summary: Seven girls fight for the broken and torn apart throne of Magix: Princesses Bloom, Stella, and Layla, illlegitimate child Musa, duchess Tecna, while warring sisters Flora  and Roxy fight to be Queen of Linphea. Romance, treachery, crime, and war. AU.
1. Chapter 1

This is rated T for teenagers, however, this fanfiction is rather dark and may contain character death, sexual content, language, and violence. Use discretion. 

Linphea, Flur de Lis Palace

Princess Flora of The Royal House of Linphea paced the hallway of her room aimlessly. The Flur de Lis Palace had always been her favorite estate to visit when she was little, but now...she shook her head and allowed herself to remember when it was just her, Mama, and Papa...

No Roxanne.

Roxy, as her supporters, treasonous, evil supporters, called her. She was the true queen of Linphea; Roxy was the daughter of a castle whore and didn't even look like the royal family of Linphea; she had pink hair and fair skin like her whore of a mother.

She heard a knock at the door and straightened. "Who knocks?" she was pleased with her commanding tone, fit for the true queen; and was just as pleased in the answer. "General Helia, Your Grace."

"Enter." she said, and he opened the door to her outer chamber. Immediately he knelt, pressing his lips to her red rose ring she always wore as a sign of her status.

"God save your grace." he murmured, rising when she waved her hand. "The bastard woman, Roxy, has tried another attack on Lorel. The revolutionaries pushed her back forcefully. However, it may be true that she is marching on the palace next. A siege could be underway."

"Is there anything you can do?" she said, trying to hide her wringing hands in her long sleeved gown. Helia nodded tersely.

"We could try to attack them before they attack us." he suggested, and she frowned, staring at him speculatively. "But we've never mounted an attack before," she said quietly, "only defended ourselves."

"Yes, your majesty. That may be the case, but if there is a siege, Roxanne's army is much larger then ours. She has more supporters, including very influential dukes such as the Duke of Liilth, backing her up. If you were to reestablish the Linphean Elder Council of the Redfoundtain, Saladin may back you up and that could prove useful."

"But I must admit that Roxanne was wise to ban them from her court as well as I was to ban them from mine. Most of them are corrupt old men who have no respect for a women's honor."  
>Helia nodded. "You may be correct, your majesty. However, it would be a large blow to deal Roxanne." she nodded.<p>

"Thank you, General Helia. Your input is appreciated in this situation. You may go now." as he backed out of the room and shut the door, she sat down at her breakfast table and lay her head in her arms. She didn't really want to hurt Roxy, just for Roxy to acknowledge that she, Flora of the Royal House of Marigold, was rightful and true queen of Linphea.

She raised her head and rang for Helia. Rising, he knelt and kissed the ring again. She sighed wearily.

"Bring me Saladin. He will have his council."

_  
>Magix, Digitron Castle<p>

Grand-duchess Tecna of Zenith Stood in front of her father's desk, where papers were scattered and he sat with a bad tempered look on his face. "Tecna," he began, "as you know, you will turn sixteen in three days time. By the time you are sixteen, you will be in court. I am sending you tomorrow and sending word today so that our suites may be cleaned for your arrival.(1)

I would have wished for you to make something of yourself by now." he bemoaned. "The king should have had a son, I know he would have offered him to you by now. We own more of Magix then he does, and that is why I have made him your guardian. If anything happens to me he will suggest a husband for you."

Tecna nodded, glad that he couldn't see how hard she swallowed down the lump in her throat, which was covered by a lace choker. "So I shall spend my birthday on the journey to Dragonfyre Castle?"  
>"That is where the royal family has decided to spend the Yuletide. So, indeed."<p>

She nodded and tried not to look too sad. "Is that all, Father?" she asked, politely. He nodded, then held up his hand as she bobbed a curtsey and began to leave. "Wait, Tecna. You shouldn't pack any clothes; I have ordered a whole new wardrobe for when you arrive at Dragonfyre." she cringed on the inside and continued to walk, after muttering out a quick, insincere "Thank you, mi'lord."

She did not want to become married to one of the courtiers, which was exactly what he father wanted. Before the Royal Family of the House of Solaria, The Royal Family of the House of Zenith had ruled Magix, and her father aspired to the role.

She understood she was a disappointment to her father; being a girl instead of a much wanted boy; her mother never understood why she felt that why but she knew that it was the absolute truth.  
>Her one of her Ladies-in-waiting, Chimera, grabs her arm. "A whole new wardrobe, mi'lady? How exciting for you!" she nodded weakly, trying to look pleased when she knew the wardrobe would be full of dresses made for her to look appealing to a rich man, probably elderly.<p>

Her ladies in waiting were to accompany her. Apparently she was going to Dragonfyre Castle for Yuletide and it was a three days' journey. She knew that her father had tried with limited success to marry her off to others; why, however, she knew not.

She disliked most of her ladies in waiting, except for one, Stella, who was a bit over-the-top and talkative, but also, sometimes kind and a good friend. She also knew a lot about royal protocol, though Tecna didn't know why. She could not trust them with any secrets, though. Stella was a terrible gossip.  
>She wished that she could read in the castle library or look out of the telescope at the night sky after supper, but she could do neither. She hated how all she did was embroider with her ladies and sit; she wished she could learn something for once...<p>

And the next day it would be off to court.

Magix, Dragonfyre Castle

Crown Princess Daphne of Magix waited on her bed breathlessly. She had spent all morning at some silly parade with her silly little sister Bloom. Bloom didn't know what she was talking about, whatever she was talking about, and the foolish little goat was ugly as well.

Unlike her, crown princess and all set to rule. Beautiful...and with the ear of the most powerful man in all of Magix...who was currently controlling her father, because her father was an old ninny who didn't know what he was talking about.

And speaking of the man, the nineteen-year-old Princess's lover opened the door and she sat up. It was indeed him.

"Baltor." she purred, looking up at him. He smiled at her, talking off his burgundy jacket.

In seconds, they were upon each other, each individual ripping at the other's clothes, falling onto the bad, lips pressed hard against one another. They made love until Daphne sat up, completely naked and sweaty, breathing hard.

She brushed her blonde hair, matted to her face, away, and lay back down next to him, sliding one arm underneath the pillows and the other onto his bare chest. He opened his mouth to say something when there was a knock at the door.

Daphne shot him a look of panic, whereas he was surprisingly calm; she took a deep breath to try and slow her pounding heart; "Who is it?"

"It's Bloom!" called her sister from the other side of the door. Baltor didn't move or attempt to point out the fact that his breeches lay halfway under Daphne's bare legs, his shirt, flung into some corner of the room, and Daphne's own now ripped dress hanging off of the four poster bed's canopy.

She slid off the bed, cringing at the feel of her feet on the cold stone. "What do you want?" she said, hand on her chest to keep reminding herself to breathe.

"To say goodnight." her stupid little sixteen year old brain couldn't understand what alone meant? Specifically what she had requested from everyone? She said as much to her sister, who replied with a bloody oath she had heard down at the shipyard, and stomped off.

Daphne suspected she had taken a piece of jewelry she wanted to replace before Daphne found it missing, and looked back to Baltor. "What now?" she asked breathlessly.

She found herself reddening as Baltor's eyes traveled up and down her figure, stopping at her bosom before speaking. "Well, we can resume, or so that your sister doesn't lead your mother to discover us together, I can bid you my farewell."

Daphne nodded. "I think that would be for the best." she nodded to him, as he pulled on his coat, breeches, and shirt, and sat on her bed, dressing herself for bed. Speaking of which, she was going to have to make the maid change the bed sheets. It was eleven at night, but Ellen wasn't very bright and wouldn't catch on.

Down the hall, Bloom of Magix was smiling happily. She would always be the ugly little sister, but now she would be the ugly little sister...who had seen her father's chief advisor in bed with her sister, the crown princess.

Thank God for keyholes.

Princess Layla of Andros stood in the tower.

In some odd, twisted Rapunzel fairy-tale, she had been locked inside this tower for three months.  
>Of course, it was lavish; lovely beds, ladies in waiting, servants, even an eloquent jailer, Sir Nabu Tidesburg.<p>

She chuckled bitterly as she embroidered, thinking of her first week, which ended with her screaming, "I am the queen of Andros and I demand you let me out of here! This is my aunt's country!"

"Your highness," he had said with so much mock sympathy, "your aunt wanted you to reside here for your protection."

She had thrown a vase at him and missed.  
>Well, not anymore. She opened the coded letter from her friend Anne in Andros. "We are coordinating with Roxanne of Linphea," she wrote, "she wants to see someone other then the Royal Family of the House of Domino on the throne; she didn't support the revolutionary cause. I can assure you that if the nineteen year old and the queen and king are killed that the young girl, Bloom Elizabeth Second, will allow her older cousin to rule in her place."<p>

Lady had written back, "Will she? She is apparently willful and rude to most; I don't think that she would allow me in this country for a moment, and besides, I am only one year older."  
>"It doesn't matter." she had replied. "Roxanne of Limphea is willing to back us up."<p>

She stared at herself in the mirror, letter in her hands as she set fire to it.

"How would you like to be queen of Magix?" she asked herself.

And that ends this chapter! I think there will be one more introducing Musa, Stella, and Roxy.  
>(1) Most dukes and counts had rooms in the palace where they only lived when they wanted to visit the castle.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**'ello, Mateys!  
>To make some things clear:<strong>

**Roxy and Flora are half sisters. Their father was the king of Linphea and Flora's mother was his queen. Roxy's mother was the king's mistress. The king died and the people rebelled with no one on the throne, and some said Flora was queen, and some said Roxy, whose mother had become a duchess so she could live in the castle (her mother is dead and she is the duchess now) was the queen. They're fighting each other and the rebels and each has fled to a different castle in Linphea. Flora and Roxy have never actually met face to face, and Flora has only ever seen Roxy in an oil painting. **

**The Domino Royal Family has only been ruling for ten years. Before that the Solarian Royal Family ruled, but in the Magix rebellion, the Solarians were killed and Princess Stella went missing. **

**Tecna is an archduchess. Her mother is alive, to make that clear. Tecna isn't a princess. Zenith isn't a kingdom, it is a province; dukes, earls, lords, etc. rule small provinces, and the king rules the dukes, earls, lords, etc. her father wants her to go to court for Christmas, hoping to catch the eye of a duke or earl or something. **

**After the Solarian Royal Family was killed, the rebels in Magix put the Dominoes on the throne. Baltor, the secret chief rebel, is also the king's advisor, and is really the one ruling the country because Oritel listens to and does everything Baltor tells him to. Daphne is the oldest and next in line to rule because Baltor told the king to name Daphne his successor, as Daphne and Baltor are lovers. Meaning that Bloom is second princess and usually ignored, and is blackmailing Daphne with her secret about Baltor and her. **

**Layla's country, Andros, was conquered by the country of Trix. Layla's mother, Muriel, is Miriam's sister and Bloom and Daphne are Layla's cousins. Layla fled to Magix during the siege of the castle in Andros. However, because she belongs to the religion of Morphix, the Morphix rebels want to put her on the throne and boot the Dominos out. Therefore the queen has locked Layla up.**

Christmas Day, Dragonfyre Castle

Bloom knocked on the door of Daphne's room. She knew that Daphne would be inside, sulking. Her favorite maid, Arelle, had just left service and she disliked the replacement.

"Sister?" Daphne sounded tired. Bloom opened the door to her bedchamber and smiled at her older sister.

"Sister, I propose your Yuletide gift to me be the province of Alfea's income(2)." Daphne frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm not giving you a Yuletide gift, brat!"

"Are you really not going to give me one? But you're going to give Sir Baltor one? I think that seems a bit unfair," she replied. "even if he is your lover." Daphne looked like she had been stuck.

"Y–you're daft." she hissed, always a bad liar. Bloom laughed and shrugged in an unladylike fashion. "Am I?" she asked. "Perhaps our father will disagree. When his first wife was unfaithful, he killed her and banished their daughter. Perhaps he will show mercy and simply disown you."

Daphne stared at her. "Fine! Fine. You get your way. You get Alfea. Now get out! GET OUT!" she threw her candle and candle holder at Bloom, who backed out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster.

Tecna of Zenith was sitting in her room. The Masquerade of Yuletide was going to start and she and her ladies were to be dressed as goddesses. She was to be Aphrodite, her father had decided. Stella would do better as the goddess of love, but she was Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Tecna would have rather been Athena, but it was her father's choice. (Like everything else in her life).

"This should be fun," muttered Tecna. Stella tried to look reassuringly at her, speculatively holding a golden mask over her face, then tossing it onto the bed. "It will be alright, m'lady."  
>"For you, at least." muttered the duchess. "You enjoy that kind of thing." Tecna thought she may enjoy it more if she was pretty, but generally had a very low option of herself in that regard—she was fashionably very pale, but that was where her 'fasionality' came to an end.<p>

"It's not so bad," Stella replied. "Doesn't the castle have a library?" she asked, sitting up straight. "Why don't you go there and...read or something?"

Tecna nodded, happier then before. "Don't you want to come?" she asked. Stella shook her head. "You know I hate that kind of thing."

Rolling her eyes, the duchess stepped out of the room to go find the library. She had only been to this castle a few times; and had spent most of her limited court life at Flamerage.

About three hours later she was hopelessly lost.

Linphea, Earthlighte Park (it's actually a castle, not a park)

Roxanne of Linphea, or Roxy to those who knew her, paced in front of her door. Anne, a Morphix (as was all of Andros) of the former Andros, had written about a princess the queen of Domino was keeping locked up. The princess was her niece and ruling power of Andros.

Would she be willing to back up Layla and kill the king and queen? She was against killing anyone, of course, and never for someone she didn't know, like Layla. She could, she supposed, ask Layla to come to Earthlighte Park. The Queen of Magix was still maintaining that the princess stay locked up for her protection, so it couldn't hurt to ask.

Oh, hell. She would ask. What did it even matter? She had never really wanted to be queen in the first place; her mother was always telling her that she would be queen someday. She supposed as a fourteen year old she was excited by the idea. Now, a grown sixteen year old woman, she was wondering exactly what she found enchanting. She rung for a drink and her taster, Regine.

Then again, what would Muse think of putting Layla in the throne?

With taster and drink both brought, she motioned to Regine, who took the first sip without looking, probably not even tasting. Roxy counted to five before she raised the cup to her lips, but before she drank, she smelled an oddly sharp odor off the top of the glass. Setting it down quickly, she stared at Regine.

Regine was trying to say something, but Roxy couldn't tell what, and getting scared, rang for another servant while Regine tried to speak. She began to cry, spitting up what looked like vomit mixed with blood, and Roxy screamed fairly loud enough to bring down the ceiling.

"Oh, my God! Oh, Lord! Oh, Lord! Someone come quick! Oh, Holy Saint Angela! Oh, God!" her voice went an octave higher every time she spoke. Regine was still spitting bloody vomit and Roxy, in a panic, knocked the glass over on the table and it spattered on the floor.

It hissed as it ate through the first layer of carpet and Roxy screamed higher. "OH, GOD! OH, LORD!" by now Freya and Musa were bursting through the door, followed by Sir Andrew, or Andy, as everyone seemed to call him, sword drawn and eyes wild.

Musa and Freya ran to Roxy, holding her tightly, pulling her to sit on her bed. "Oh, your highness. Oh, your grace. Please sit down and look away from that mess." Musa said comfortingly.

However, Roxy couldn't block out Regine's anguished, half-gibberish screams. Andy was banging on the door. "Send for the doctor, for God's sake!" he yelled at Gwyneth for Roxy, who was now facedown on the bed, sobbing, with Musa and Freya tearing up as well and hovering around in a frenzy.

"Oh, goodness..." Masteress Opheila, the healer, came into the room, gasping in anguish. "Oh, Lord, what has happened here?" The cries grew weak and stopped. Roxy dared not look.

Roxy sat up and pointed to the goblet on the ground. Sniffing it, Opheila handed it to Andy, who sniffed as well. "God save the queen." he muttered solemnly. "this is a chemical only known to those astrologers who study it. Hydrochloric acid, I am told it is called. Meant for you, your grace."

Roxy clung to Musa tightly, eyes wide and reddened. "Oh, God. Who would want...?" she already knew the answer: Flora. Burying her face in Musa's chest, she tried to block out the sounds around her.

"Leave, now." she tried to say commandingly, no one moved. She tossed a pillow, her nearest object at hand, at the door while trying not to look at Regine. "Get out of here, now!"  
>"No, your grace. If it pleases you, my queen, you cannot be alone now." Musa held onto Roxy tightly and Roxy didn't object. Musa was about two years older then Roxy, at eighteen, and though impulsive, she was a good dancer and loved to play music.<p>

Of course, Musa was also a princess. She was King Oritel of Magix's daughter. He had hidden her mother, Matlin, away until her death, and banished then-seven-year-old Musa from Magix. Roxy reasoned that if it were up to her who sat on the Magix throne, it would be Musa, the true princess.

Musa had been with Roxy since she was ten; Roxy was the only one, as far as she knew, who knew her secret, and Musa liked it that way.

Riven, Duke of the Terrestrial Territories under his queen, Roxy, though he didn't care much for formalities, was walking in the courtyard. He liked how servants shied from his sneer; he gladly added to his reputation of being arrogant, cruel, and generally unpleasant.

Riven was only the Duke because Roxy was his cousin; no one liked him expect for Roxy, who tolerated him like she was his mother and not younger cousin.

He noticed the attractive lady-in-waiting to said younger cousin walking past him; her dark hair and the back of her dress to him as she hurried to the aid of Roxy.

Impulsively, Riven grabbed her wrist as she passed him, and she turned around and kicked him hard in the shins.

"What the hell happened to Roxy in there? Who got hurt?" he demanded. She rolled her eyes impertinently. "That's the Queen to you, sir." she said in a tone that gave no indication she wanted to call him sir at all. Or even honor him with a reply.

"Learn to be more submissive, woman. A lady's role is to follow, not to lead." with that he gave her arm a push and she fell to the muddy ground. He would've walked away—

—except for the fact that she kicked the back of one of his knees with her high heeled, pointy-toed shoe, forcing his knees to buckle and he fell to the ground as well. She got up with great dignity while he ended up uttering bloody oaths and slipping on his face.

It figured.

(2)- It means that Alfea, a town, who paid taxes to the royals, was given to Bloom; Bloom gets the money from taxes instead of Daphne. People really did that sort of thing.

**And because religion differences, especially between Catholic and Protestant people, came into conflict regularly in really dark ages; since I didn't want to use real religions, all of Layla's people are Morphix, which is a religion that all the other people are not.**

**Let's say Tecna, Bloom, Daphne, Roxy, Musa, Flora, and Stella are all... Um... If you have a suggestion, review with it; I am not, obviously going to go into beliefs and all that messy stuff so we'll leave it at names. I just don't want to use real religions. No debates on peace in my review box! :)**


End file.
